India’s management education ecosystem is becoming increasingly visible on the global stage, with 14 Indian business schools featuring in the Financial Times Masters in Management 2026 ranking, up from 11 in 2025.
Among them, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) has emerged as the second-highest-ranked Indian business school, moving nine places to #26 globally, compared with #35 in 2025.
The institute ranks behind IIM Bangalore at #21 globally and ahead of IIM Ahmedabad at #27.
While the overall ranking represents a significant improvement, SPJIMR’s performance across individual parameters offers a more interesting picture of where management education is heading.
Careers are becoming the defining measure
SPJIMR ranks #2 globally and #1 in India for Careers Service, improving from #3 globally last year.
The result is particularly relevant at a time when prospective management students are looking beyond institutional reputation and asking a more fundamental question: What will this programme do for my career?
Business schools are increasingly being evaluated on their ability to connect classroom learning with real-world career outcomes.
SPJIMR’s ranking in this category suggests that career support remains one of the institute’s strongest differentiators.
The value of a business school extends beyond graduation
The second major indicator is the strength of the alumni network.
SPJIMR ranks #6 globally and #1 in India, up from #11 globally in 2025.
For management institutions, alumni networks can become one of the most enduring assets they create. Alumni can contribute through mentorship, recruitment, entrepreneurship, knowledge exchange and professional networks.
A strong ranking in this category, therefore, speaks not just to the student experience, but to the strength of the community created around the institution.
Students are increasingly looking at return on investment
SPJIMR also ranks #50 globally and #1 in India for Value for Money.
With the cost of higher education under increasing scrutiny, value has become an important consideration for prospective students.
The FT metric takes into account alumni salaries, tuition fees and associated programme costs, providing an indication of the economic value participants derive from their education.
SPJIMR’s performance is complemented by a weighted salary of US$166,372 and an alumni-reported 37.86% salary increase, according to FT MiM 2026 data.
Sustainability moves closer to the centre of management education
Perhaps one of the most notable movements is SPJIMR’s performance in ESG & Net Zero Teaching.
The institute ranks #28 globally and #1 in India, rising sharply from #63 globally in 2025.
This reflects a broader transformation in management education.
Today’s managers are expected to understand not only markets, finance and operations, but also climate risk, responsible business, sustainability and the social implications of corporate decisions.
The increasing prominence of ESG and Net Zero content in business-school rankings indicates that sustainability is moving from being a specialised subject to becoming an integral part of management education.
India’s global management education footprint is expanding
SPJIMR’s ranking should also be viewed within the broader context of India’s growing representation in global business education.
Fourteen Indian institutions feature in the FT MiM 2026 ranking, compared with 11 a year earlier.
The increased representation suggests that Indian business schools are gaining greater visibility across global measures of career progression, alumni engagement, diversity, international exposure, research, sustainability and programme value.
For Indian management education, this is significant.
The global conversation around business education is no longer limited to the traditional centres of management education in North America and Europe. Asian institutions, including India’s leading business schools, are increasingly becoming part of that conversation.
The ranking question is changing. The traditional question for a prospective management student was often straightforward: Which business school ranks highest?
Today, the question is becoming more nuanced.
Students want to know whether a programme can improve their career prospects, provide a valuable network, deliver a strong return on investment and prepare them for the changing demands of business.
SPJIMR’s performance across these metrics illustrates how the definition of a leading business school is evolving.
Its rise to #26 globally is important. But perhaps more significant is what sits behind that number: strong career services, an engaged alumni network, value for money and a growing focus on ESG and Net Zero.
As Indian business schools continue to expand their global footprint, those may ultimately be the measures that matter most.
